Grease - Jim Jacobs e Warren Casey [Pdf - Eng Ita] [TNTvillage]
GREASE
Musical
Jim JACOBS & Warren CASEY
Author/Autore: Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
Title/Titolo: Grease
Year/Anno: 1970
Language/Lingua: English - Italiano
Genre/Genere: Musical
Format/Formato: Pdf
Nel Maggio del 1958 Danny Zucco, il leader dei T-Birds, una banda di studenti della Rydell High School, incontra Sandy Olsson, una ragazza giovane ed ingenua proveniente dall'Australia, e se ne innamora. Sandy alla fine delle vacanze deve però tornare in Australia, e i due sono costretti a dirsi addio, giurandosi amore eterno.
I programmi di Sandy però improvvisamente cambiano: si iscrive alla stessa scuola di Danny e lì conosce un gruppo di studentesse chiamate Pink Ladies, con cui fa amicizia. Sia Danny, sia Sandy, inconsapevoli del destino che incombe, rendono partecipi i rispettivi amici della loro storia, e Sandy viene derisa dalle compagne per la sua ingenuità.
Sandy rivela il nome del suo amore estivo alle nuove amiche, e Rizzo, leader delle Pink Ladies, con l'intenzione di mettere in difficoltà Danny di fronte agli amici, organizza un incontro "casuale" fra i due. Danny si mostra spavaldo e indifferente in presenza della sua banda, ma i due poco dopo riprendono la loro storia, disturbata però dalla presenza dei T-Birds, delle Pink Ladies e di una banda rivale, gli Scorpions.
All'attesa gara di ballo organizzata dalla scuola, Danny e Sandy si presentano in coppia, e sembrano i favoriti per la vittoria finale, ma sono di nuovo separati. I T-Birds fanno di tutto per rimettere Danny assieme alla sua ex ragazza e compagna di ballo Cha-Cha Di Gregorio. Danny è spinto fra le braccia di Cha-Cha e con lei conclude il ballo finale e vince la gara. Sandy si sente tradita e abbandona la festa disgustata.
Nel tentativo di riconciliarsi, Danny porta Sandy al drive-in, chiede a Sandy di essere la sua ragazza, le dona un anello, e cerca maldestramente di abbracciarla e baciarla, ma Sandy reagisce indispettita e scappa via, lasciando Danny da solo con i suoi pensieri.
I T-Birds e gli Scorpions si sfidano in una gara automobilistica tra bande. Kenickie, amico fraterno di Danny, dovrebbe guidare per i T-Birds, ma ha un incidente e sviene. Danny allora guida al posto di Kenickie e vince la gara.
Sandy, che ha assistito alla gara, comprende a quel punto la natura di Danny e decide di rimettersi in gioco, abbandonando le vesti di ragazzina per bene. Così, alla festa di fine anno, una nuova Sandy appare allo sbalordito Danny, più grintosa e "cattiva", decisa ad avvicinarsi al modo di essere del suo amato e pronta a riconquistarlo. Sulle note del brano You're the One That I Want i due capiscono che sono fatti l'uno per l'altra e volano via su una scintillante roadster, salutati dagli amici festanti.
Jim Jacobs
It was in Chicago, Illinois, circa March/April 1970. At a cast party for some long-forgotten show - just for a laugh - I pulled out some of my old 45 records from the 1950s. These songs sounded extremely dated compared to the very hip, psychedelic funk of 1970 but it was a change of pace amongst the repetitious favourite dance tunes of the day. It was after singing along to several of these old, scratchy 45s by the likes of Little Richard, Dion and the Belmonts, and The Flamingos, that I first suggested to Warren Casey what a funny idea I thought it would be to see a Broadway musical that utilised this type of score i.e. the basic a capella/falsetto/doo-wops/hic-cupping/ R&B music of the late 50s instead of the traditional, 'legit' show tune type melodies of the Great White Way. Warren raised the rather obvious question: "Yeah, but what would the show be about?"
A few beers later - with daylight rapidly approaching - I hit upon the idea that it should be about the kids I went to high school with, mainly the 'greasers' and their girlfriends, back in the golden days of rock 'n' roll.
Harking back to a lifestyle that seemed centred on hairstyles (oily, gooey, coiffs), the food (cheap, fatty, hamburgers and soggy fries) and cool custom cars (more gunk and sludge) or any and all things 'greasy' - I suggested we call it Grease.
Originally Warren laughed and dismissed the whole idea as a wild pipe dream, when the fickle finger of fate suddenly entered the picture. A week later, Warren was fired from his day job as branch manager of several retail shops. Now, with time on his hands, he sat down at a typewriter and began to write a rough sketch (the girls' pajama party scene) for what would ultimately become the longest-running show in Broadway history.
Collaborating on the book, music and lyrics, we set about creating a story which poked good-natured fun at all those Hollywood JD/Rock 'n' Roll movies of the 1950s. Warren (an ex-high school teacher in the 1950s) wrote songs that parodied the primitive sounds of the early rockers whilst I (an ex-greaser student in the 1950s) composed tunes that I felt paid imitative homage to the originals.
Little Known Fact: Grease is probably the only hit Broadway musical ever composed entirely on guitar.
On February 5th 1971 in Chicago, Grease opened in a damp, drafty, former trolley barn called the Kingston Mines Theatre. A non-professional cast of 18 actors (in a $171 budget production!) played the first of its scheduled 'four performances only' to a full house of 120 seats. Almost immediately the show was extended... then again, and again, and again. The rest, as they say, is history.
A year later, on February 14th 1972, Grease opened in New York. Within six months a national tour crossed the US and Canada. A company opened in Australia. The first London production opened at the New London Theatre with a young, unknown Richard Gere as Danny Zuko (the role eventually assumed by current co-producer Paul Nicholas). Soon the foreign productions, touring companies and stock and amateur groups seemed to span the globe.
The huge success of the motion picture in 1978 resulted in a whole new legion of Grease fanatics - young kids. (The movie version of Grease holds the record for 'more concessions sold' than any other film in motion picture history).
But enough about statistics and records. What Grease is really all about - more than anything else - is having fun. So, just sit back, kick off your blue suede shoes, and relax. Have a ball! Grease is, after all, a celebration.
A party of the best kind. It was fun then, but it's just as much fun now!
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